


To Ignis, With Love

by Swordy



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Love Confessions, M/M, Valentine's Day Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-20
Updated: 2018-02-20
Packaged: 2019-03-21 22:20:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,010
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13750374
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Swordy/pseuds/Swordy
Summary: For the last three years, Ignis has received an anonymous valentine’s card. Now he’s determined to flush out the sender...





	To Ignis, With Love

**Author's Note:**

> Written for a prompt on tumblr. You can find me at: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/hellomynameisswordy 
> 
> Feel free to come visit me there!
> 
> Anyway, sorry it's a little late. Hope people still enjoy it. <3

The first year Ignis receives an anonymous valentine's card he doesn’t even mention it to the others.

The second year, when Prompto jokingly asks if he got any cards, his response - _matters of the heart are nobody's business but those of the involved parties_ \- tells them that’s a yes. He ignores the teasing with typical Ignis-like stoicism, but doesn’t divulge any further information, leaving them frustrated and ultimately none the wiser. Gladio in particular watches Ignis during these conversations, trying to gauge how he is reacting to this mystery.

On the third year, the card arrives as expected. Remembering the year before, Noct asks about it and Ignis is forced to admit that, yes, he’s received another. They spend an age dissecting every last detail, which frankly, isn’t much. The cards have all been relatively plain with a simple 'Happy Valentine's Day' inside. Every year (because Ignis is also forced to admit that this is the third year this has happened and not the second) it arrives by post, with an Insomnia postmark. Obviously the envelope is addressed to him, but the actual card contains neither a 'To' nor a 'From'. No, he doesn’t recognise the writing on the envelope and no, he doesn’t have a clue who might be sending them.

In the run up to Valentine's Day the year after, the excitement builds from a couple of weeks before the actual date. Prompto and Noct begin their speculation, devising plans for how they might flush out the sender. Ignis makes patently clear that they should be focusing on their schoolwork, but wearily accepts that they’re going to carry on with their scheming regardless of what he says. As anticipated, the anonymous card arrives a few days prior to the fourteenth and the speculation hots up.

“Hey, Gladio!”

Gladio turns to see Noct beckoning him over one day as he’s finishing up a Crownsguard training session. It’s a pleasant day and Noct is sitting with Prompto and Ignis on the sports field. The former is doing something on his phone, the latter is surrounded by paperwork and is making notes on a pad. Noct is sprawled on the grass, shielding his eyes until Gladio's shadow falls across him. He grins lazily.

“What d'you think Specs should do about his mystery admirer this time?”

Gladio takes a moment to towel the sweat from his brow. When he lowers the cloth, he finds them all - Ignis included - studying him expectantly.

“Uh...” He meets Ignis's gaze. “I dunno. D’you actually wanna know who it is, Iggy?”

Ignis tilts his head to one side, considering the question for a moment. “Well, whilst the element of mystery _does_ have a certain romantic appeal, I believe I may have an inkling who they might be from.”

Prompto and Noct sit up quickly, almost falling over themselves, their eyes growing comically large.

“You what?”

“ _How_?”

“Specs! Why you holdin' out on us, huh?”

Ignis smiles that maddeningly enigmatic smile of his. “I’m not sure it’s really my place to share.”

Noct frowns. “Ignis, you know I’m the prince, right? I can just command you to tell us.”

Ignis raises an eyebrow, a clear communication that says _you’ll do no such thing_. Evidently Noct knows he’s on a hiding to nothing trying this tack with his chamberlain, so instead he flops back on the grass and takes the toddler approach instead.

“Speccccsssss, come on! You can’t do this to us, especially when we're trying to help you! Tell us, please?”

Ignis gestures for them to settle down. There’s still a twinkle in his eye that hints at amusement. Gladio studies him, waiting with baited breath.

“Very well. I believe they’re coming from one of the glaives.”

“A glaive?” Noct spits. “Who?”

“A gentleman by the name of Thaddeus Cleaver.” Ignis's gaze flicks upward to land on Gladio. “Do you know him?”

Gladio takes a moment, hoping his features still look reasonably neutral. “Yeah, I do.” Then after a moment. “What makes you think it's him?”

“Well,” Ignis replies, “happenstance has led to us sparring on a few occasions. At first things were cordial, but then, more recently, things have taken on a slightly flirtatious turn.” Ignis smiles, lost in memories for a moment. “He seems the most logical choice since there’s no one else I can think of who's shown an interest in me.”

“You look pretty happy about that,” Noct observes.

Ignis gives an amused shrug. “I wouldn’t be adverse to seeing if it would go anywhere.”

Noct appears to consider this for a moment, before his expression lights up. “Well if he’s a glaive then maybe Gladio here can do some digging for you.”

Gladio realises that they’re all looking at him now.

“What? Huh? Oh yeah, sure.”

Noct nods, satisfied that progress can now be made, before he turns his attention back to his game of King's Knight. Prompto quickly follows suit, leaving just Ignis studying him with that damned smile on his face. Ignis then nods, like he too is pleased that Gladio is going to help him out.

OoOoO

Naturally, Gladio intends to do no such thing.

He knows Thaddeus Cleaver, and although the guy's an excellent soldier, he’s also pretty sure that he’s completely unsuitable for Ignis. He also knows Thaddeus isn’t responsible for sending the anonymous Valentine’s Day cards. This he knows with greater certainty, namely because the cards are coming from him.

For years now, he’s carried a torch for Noct's advisor. It’s a flame that has grown in intensity, that nothing or no one has been able to douse, despite no obvious factors that have contributed to its growth. He interacts with Ignis plenty because of their mutual connection to Noct, but Ignis has never indicated that he’s aware of Gladio’s infatuation or - more importantly - that the feelings could run the other way. And Gladio settles for leaving it this way, fearful of damaging what they _do_ have, because at least this way they can spend time together without it being awkward. But it’s not easy, and the cards are a reflection of the fact that sometimes his heart dislikes being caged in this way.

When sparring with Noct a few days before Valentine’s Day, the prince inquires if he’s made headway with finding out any more information about the glaive Ignis named. He says no, a second before aiming a blow, which Noct parries at the last second.

“Why you so interested?” Gladio asks, backing away and circling his opponent.

Noct holds his sword out defensively, his expression determined, eyes locked onto Gladio lest he decide to attack. His hair flops into his eye, which he clears with a quick flick of his head.

“No reason; I just think it would be cool to see Specs have a little fun for once.”

Gladio feints, making Noct twitch his weapon. He smirks.

“If you’re thinkin' it’ll make him go easier on you, then you’re gonna be seriously disappointed.”

“Doesn’t matter,” Noct counters. “I just think it’d be good for him to get a little action.”

This time Gladio charges, and Noct isn’t quite fast enough to avoid the blow. He blocks, but Gladio's not holding back and it results in Noct being smashed to the floor with an almighty thud. His training sword clatters away from him.

“Whoah, Big Guy,” Noct gasps, when some air has found its way back into his lungs. “I’d hate to see how hard you hit when you _don’t_ like the guy.”

“Sorry,” he says guiltily, lowering his sword and holding his hand out for Noct, who takes it and gets back to his feet. “How about we call it a day, huh?”

“Sure,” Noct replies, rubbing his back ruefully. “Let’s do that.”

Noct collects his training sword and heads to the exit, but not without flicking a backward glance at Gladio. Gladio, for his part, pretends he doesn’t notice until Noct has gone, then covers his eyes and lets out a long, wearied breath. He can’t stand the thought of Ignis being with someone else. The solution is inevitable, even if the thought of it makes him feel slightly nauseous.

He needs to tell Ignis how he feels.

OoOoO

Having made the decision to lay bare his feelings, he tries his best to engineer situations where he can get Ignis alone, because he sure as hell ain't doing it in front of Noct and Prompto. All fail to the point where he's beginning to think that fate is against him. Maybe it’s a bad idea. Maybe Ignis will be shocked to discover he feels this way and then every interaction between them going forward is destined to be stilted and awkward. Maybe he should just keep it to himself and let Ignis pursue something with Thaddeus Cleaver, because even if the glaive admits he's not the sender of the cards, he’ll almost certainly be interested in taking things further with Ignis. Because, well, it’s _Ignis_ , and who wouldn’t want to get to know the other man better? Maybe even become intimately acquainted. The man's practically _perfect_.

Still, his heart sinks when he overhears the man in question talking to Noct on Valentine’s Day. He realises neither party has seen him and before he knows what he’s doing, he’s ducked behind a planter so he can better hear their conversation, because he caught the word 'glaive' and now he needs to know more.

“So you've told him?” Noct asks.

“Not exactly,” he hears Ignis say in response. “I wrote him a letter and posted it into his locker so he’d see it when he arrives for training this morning. I've invited him to join me tonight at eight pm.”

“Where?”

“The Gilded Leaf.”

“Ooh, nice,” Noct says. “Well, I hope everything goes to plan, Specs.”

“Thank you, Noct. I hope it will too.”

OoOoO

Well, shit. He’s too late, literally as well as metaphorically.

He realises both Noct and Ignis have left, although he’s doubting he could have said anything even if Ignis _had_ stayed and he could have grabbed him for a moment. Ignis has made plans, sounded _happy_. Ignis deserves happiness, even if it’s not with him.

But he feels guilty. Those stupid goddamned cards. Whatever possessed him to think they were a good idea? And now Ignis thinks some glaive was sending them, their arrival each and every Valentine’s Day now acting as a catalyst to push Ignis and some anonymous glaive into each other’s arms. It’s occurred to him that this unfortunate situation is entirely of his own making, owing to his cowardice.

He needs to own up.

Which is why he finds himself standing outside The Gilded Leaf at a quarter to eight, heart doing that sharp staccato when he glances in through the window and sees Ignis sitting alone at one of the small tables near the back. He’s sipping water and perusing the menu, glancing up every now and again, presumably to see if his date for the evening has arrived yet.

There’s a possibility Thaddeus won’t turn up at all, since he’s not actually expressed a desire to pursue something with Ignis, despite their flirtatious sparring sessions, leaving Ignis to be stood up on Valentine’s Day in one of Insomnia's most exclusive restaurants. Or he might be due any moment, unable to believe his luck. Gladio considers both possibilities and is unable to decide which is worse.

At the very least he owes Ignis an explanation.

Reluctantly he pushes open the door to the restaurant. Ignis hasn’t looked up, but before he can proceed he’s accosted by the maitre d, who looks as if he’s considering asking him to leave - understandable really since he’s wearing a hoodie and track pants, but they’re black therefore marking him out as someone with a connection to the royal family, which is almost certainly the cause of the man's hesitation.

“Excuse me, Sir. Do you have a booking?”

“Uh, no...”

“Oh, it's just, I’m afraid we're fully booked with it being Valentine's Day-”

“It’s okay,” he replies, patting the other man's shoulder a little harder than intended. “I ain’t staying. I just need to speak to that guy at the back.”

He walks away before the waiter can say anything else. By now, Ignis has looked up and, seeing someone he recognises walking toward him, his expression grows questioning. He’s smiling, but his eyebrows are pulled together in a small frown.

“Gladio?”

“Hey.”

“Is Noct alright?” Ignis asks, because of course that’s his first priority and the reason they’re connected at all.

“Uh, what? Yeah, he’s okay. I just needed to speak to you.” He catches Ignis glance past him and adds, “I’ll just be a moment; I know you’re waiting for someone.”

Ignis says nothing, but gestures to the empty chair across from him. The waiter approaches, but Gladio waves him away. He’s not staying. He just needs to say what he came to say and leave. Ignis lays the menu down and gazes at Gladio unwaveringly. Damn, if Ignis ain’t got the prettiest eyes...

“So what did you want to see me about?”

Time to 'fess up. He takes a breath. “I sent you the Valentine’s cards.”

He watches those pretty eyes consider this information, expression giving nothing away. After a moment Ignis nods.

“All of them? For the last three years?”

“Yup.” He feels horribly self-conscious with Ignis studying him.

“Why didn’t you say something?”

He wants to say, _isn’t it obvious? You’re amazing_.

“Were they meant as a joke?”

It dawns on him that Ignis would be looking at this new development from all angles, one of which being that the cards were intended as nothing more than a prank.

“A joke?” he repeats, horrified. “On Iris's life, Ignis, I’d _never_ do something like that to you.”

“So why send them?”

He meets Ignis's expectant gaze. He’s already stepped off the cliff, so he may as well go down in style. “Because... because I’m crazy about you, Iggy. I think I have been since the first time we met. I wanted to tell you, I did. So many goddamned times over the years.” He shakes his head, lost in memory for a moment. “But I didn’t want to risk making you uncomfortable around me if you didn’t feel the same way.”

“How come you’re telling me now?” Ignis asks, and damn it, he wishes he could get a handle on what Ignis is thinking.

“Because you thought the cards were coming from someone else. I didn’t want you to be embarrassed or disappointed when Thaddeus told you it wasn’t him that was sending them. You deserved to know, Iggy. I’m sorry it took me so long to tell you. Hopefully you and Thaddeus can still get to know each other.” He glances at the clock on the wall behind Ignis. Five to. “Speaking of which, I should go; he’ll be here any minute.”

Ignis smiles and looks away. “He’s not coming, Gladio. I never sent him the note.”

“What?”

“Thaddeus isn’t my date for the evening. You are.”

He opens his mouth to reply, but his brain's still catching up with what Ignis has just said. Evidently his expression says as much, because Ignis carries on.

“I’ll admit at first I never imagined it would be you. Then when it occurred to me that it _might_ be, I started to watch how you reacted whenever the cards were mentioned. But I still wasn't sure. So I decided to make you think there might be someone else who was interested in me, see if that encouraged you to come forward. Originally I’d intended for Noct to let slip to you about my being here tonight, but I realised you were present when I was talking to him earlier.”

“Hey, I’m sorry. I wasn’t intending to spy on you. I’d come to find you to confess about the cards, but when I heard you talking to Noct, you sounded so happy, I chickened out.”

Ignis reaches across the table for his hand. “You didn’t chicken out; you merely postponed the discussion so it could happen in a more suitable location. Besides, I owe you an apology for my duplicitousness.”

Gladio frowns. He’s not gonna hold any strategising against Ignis, because he’s hardly been the picture of transparency with his own actions. Something occurs to him.

“But what if you’d been wrong? What if it'd been someone else entirely?”

“That was a possibility,” Ignis concedes. “But the difference is I wanted it to be you.”

The words sit between them, confirmation of everything he wants. Ignis holds his gaze and he nods, his own smile spreading to become a grin.

“So what now?”

Ignis glances over his shoulder to beckon the waiter to their table.

“Now? I suggest we order some wine, start this date off properly.”

Gladio plucks at his clothes, his expression dismayed. “I ain’t exactly dressed for the occasion...”

Ignis studies him, gaze lingering on his chest for a moment. “On the contrary, I find your appearance most pleasing.”

As the waiter arrives, Ignis flicks his attention back to the wine list, a seamless transition from flirting to innocence. “Gladio? Do you have any preference?”

“Uh, red?”

Ignis nods. “We'll have a bottle of the Lucian Merlot please.”

The waiter disappears to fetch the wine, leaving them to study each other across the table. Gladio's mind wanders to the possibilities that await them. He pictures them curled up together on a lazy Sunday afternoon, walking together hand in hand on their way home from dinner, training together, a sparring session that quickly becomes sexually charged. He comes back to himself as the waiter returns with the wine and pours it for them.

Ignis reaches for his glass and holds it up. “I propose a toast. To mysteries solved... and the start of something wonderful.”

Gladio copies the gesture and brings their glasses together. “I’ll drink to that.”

“Happy Valentine’s Day, Gladio.”

“Same to you, Iggy. I hope it'll be the first of many.”

“Indeed.”

 

  
**End**

 

 

 


End file.
